title: General perioperative management of gastric cancer patients at high-volume centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gastric cancer is very common in Korea and Japan, where many hospitals annually perform high numbers of gastrectomies for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the general management of gastric cancer in high-volume centers in Korea and Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  We undertook a survey of the general management of gastric cancer at high-volume centers (over 200 cases/year) and analyzed the answers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In six of 14 hospitals surveyed, antimicrobial prophylaxis for elective gastrectomy was administered until postoperative day 3. A Levin tube and an abdominal drain were routinely inserted in seven and ten hospitals, respectively. Laboratory tests, such as complete blood cell count, liver function test, electrolytes, and blood urea nitrogen/creatinine were performed frequently on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 5. Sips of water after open distal gastrectomy were restarted up to postoperative day 3 in twelve hospitals. The surgical pathology was reported up to postoperative day 10 in thirteen hospitals. Twelve hospitals provided a regular patient education program and only one hospital provided an integrated education program which included the participation of a surgeon, an oncologist, a nurse, and a nutritionist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The general management of gastric cancer in 14 high-volume centers was not so different among the centers. The general management protocols noted here are expected to provide useful information for perioperative care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Seong
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Jeong Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yook
authors.forename: Cho Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Kyu
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Wansik
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Moon-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sang-Uk
authors.forename: Keun Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Tae Sung
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Hyung-Ho
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sung Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hiki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Han-Kwang
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007723:Korea; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*